Benzema, Suárez fit to feature in Madrid derby
MADRID, Dec 12: Karim Benzema and Luis Suárez will be ready to face off in the Spanish capital derby despite doubts regarding their fitness, their coaches said on Saturday. Carlo Ancelotti said Benzema will play for Real Madrid on Sunday when it aims to deal a serious blow to Atlético Madrid’s chances of catching it in the Spanish league title race. Suárez will also be available to help Atlético spark its bid to defend the title, according to Diego Simeone. (AP)
India win 1 gold, 3 silvers in Asian Rowing C’ship
Ban Chang (Thailand), Dec 12: Senior rower Arvind Singh bagged a gold in the lightweight men’s single sculls event while his compatriots won three silver medals as India signed off from the Asian Rowing Championship on a high note here on Sunday. Arvind leapfrogged his opponents with a timing of 7:55.942s. Arvind, who finished 11th at the Tokyo Olympics along with Arjun Lal Jat in the men’s lightweight double sculls, beat his rivals from Uzbekistan, China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. India ended the championship with three more silver medals – in the men’s lightweight double sculls, men’s quadruple sculls and in men’s coxless four events. (PTI)
Spanish tennis legend Manolo Santana, passes away aged 83
Madrid, Dec 12: The tennis world paid rich tributes to one of Spain’s greatest sporting heroes, Manolo Santana, who passed away aged 83 in Marbella on Saturday. The four-time major singles champion – French Open 1961, 1964; Wimbledon 1966 and US Open 1965 – had been tournament director of the Madrid Open until 2019, when he became the ATP Masters 1000 tournament’s honorary president. Santana also won the men’s singles in the 1968 Olympic Games. (IANS)
F2 champ Piastri ends season with victory in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, Dec 12: Championship winner Oscar Piastri finished off his Formula 2 career on the top step of the podium, beating UNI-Virtuosi pair Guanyu Zhou and Felipe Drugovich in a strategic Feature Race at Yas Marina on Sunday. With Drugovich and Theo Pourchaire on the alternate strategy, Piastri and Zhou worked hard to retain enough life in their medium Pirellis for a late duel, but in the end, they’d not need the extra rubber as a late Virtual Safety Car gave them some breathing space, with a 4.9s gap separating the two Virtuosi’s at the flag. (ANI)